325 



missioners confined themselves to this amount so long as tliey 

 were operating upon land within the original park boundaries ; 

 but by the act of I860, which extended the park area to very 

 nearly its present dimensions — 228 acres having been added — 

 a new and entirely different style of improvement was adopted, 

 requiring the expenditure of more money. The former restric- 

 tion was accordingly removed, and the Commissioners were 

 authorized to expend such reasonable amounts for improvement 

 as should be found necessary, and the city authorities were 

 directed to issue bonds and furnish means upon the requisition 

 of this Board, in the same manner as they had been directed to 

 do under the former act. This arrangement continued until 

 1S68, when the improvement fund was limited to three millions 

 of dollars, including the bonds which had been previously 

 issued. 



This limit, as we have said, has now been reached, but a 

 very considerable portion of the park, including the fifty acres 

 recently annexed, yet remains to be improved, and the Commis- 

 sioners will be obliged to suspend further operations until the 

 Legislature shall have provided means for its completion. As 

 to the exact amount which will yet be required for this pur- 

 pose, the Commissioners can make no very definite statement. 

 A fine work of art, such as the regulation and embellishment of 

 a park of this description, cannot properly be executed by con- 

 tract, but in the judgment of the Commissioners the amount 

 required will not exceed two millions of dollars. 



Before closing their report, it may not be uninteresting to 

 the taxpayers of our city for the Commissioners to state the 

 extent of the burden which park enterprise now imposes upon 

 our city. The amount awarded for land first purchased for 

 Prospect Park, on the loth of June, 1864, including expenses, 

 as appears from the official report filed in the County Clerk's 



office, was $1,387,606 27 



For the second purchase on the 5th February, 



1866 158,558 40 



For the third purchase, on the 27th May, 1867. 752,715 02 

 And for the fourth and last purchase, on the 



13th of April, 1S69 1,705,218 32 



Total 81,004,158 01 



